Malloy in Bridgeport to praise Finch’s green efforts

Published 1:03 pm, Tuesday, July 21, 2015

BRIDGEPORT — With a hot-and-heavy mayoral endorsement battle matching the humid summer weather, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Tuesday morning distanced himself, slightly, from the battle between Mayor Bill Finch and Joe Ganim, the former mayor who is trying to parlay a seven-year federal corruption sentence into an Everyman campaign to regain his City Hall perch.

But speaking Tuesday morning during a clean-energy event at a North End home, Malloy praised Finch’s efforts in making the city a greener place during his eight years in office. In an interview, the governor said it is up to local Democrats to decide whom to endorse.

“You know what? I have kind of stayed out of races,” said Malloy, a former criminal prosecutor. “I know that there’s a convention tonight. I’ll take a look at it. I think Bill’s done a good job. I’m here because of the environmental stuff and he has certainly done everything he can to make it as green a city as possible. But I’m not getting involved in races at this point. I may down the road get involved in some but I have stayed out of the races thus far.”

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In the backyard of Susan Young’s Perth Street home off Madison Avenue, during an event sponsored by the Connecticut Green Bank, Malloy said that Finch has applied for every grant available for clean-and-green energy and has made a big commitment to renewable sources.

Finch didn’t make the event, but Bridgeport Sustainability Coordinator Chris Anastasi pitched for his boss. “It’s truly an honor to represent the greenest mayor in the United States, Mayor Bill Finch, today,” Anastasi said, touting Finch’s commitment to cut carbon dioxide output in the city 10 percent by the year 2020. “We’re certainly proud that our residents here see Mayor Finch’s vision to fruition.”